Mounts Bay, with Penzance at its center, has recently been described as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Bays in the World’. Mounts Bay found in Cornwall, is in the extreme southwestern peninsula of England, UK. It has a long sweeping bay, it is one of the sunniest areas in the UK, with light blue waters, mecca of water sports, famous pirate history and the land of the Cornish pasty, it is definitely worth talking about! Stand Up Paddle Racer Ginnie Betts introduces us to this coastal idyll that she calls home, and lets us in on her secret spots that she takes her clients for her company Wild Cove Paddleboarding!
My local spot is the beautiful Mounts Bay on the South Coast of West Cornwall, easily recognised by the iconic tidal island of St Michael’s Mount. It has incredibly varied conditions and so attracts an equally diverse representation of watersports, we have some of the Country’s top Windsurfers, Sailors, Kiteboarders, an ever-growing SUP community and traditional Cornish gig rowers, a sport that is very close to the community.
Lawrence Smith of Ocean High pioneered SUP instruction in Mounts Bay it was he who gave me my first lesson. In Mounts Bay there are a mixed community of recreational SUP, Supfit, Sup racers and Sup surfers who all grace the shorelines according to conditions. It is a place where we can do everything! This summer looks set to be one of the best ever as more and more folks are expressing an interest to learn.
This is also the home spot of local Cornish waterman and SUP rider Jason Sawyer he has decades of experience on the water and has always been generous in sharing his knowledge about local conditions!
We’re blessed with many professional and long established SUP schools in Cornwall, these are the ones I’d recommend from my experience Ocean High in Mounts Bay, with Ocean Sports Centre up the road in St Ives and also on the South Coast in Falmouth there is WeSUP . But I run a school at called Wild Cove Paddleboarding!
There is alot going on in Cornwall. The closest major event we have is across the border in Devon,  the ‘Head of the River Dart race’ which attracts hundreds of people.  The event scene is growing in Cornwall though with the annual Celtic Cup held at Carbis Bay, the SUPFEST at Polkerris Bay and national selections for the British Supsurf team at Fistral in Newquay.
Feature Photo Credit: Ocean High
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